“Always read something that will make you look good if you die in the middle of it. ~P.J. O’Rourke”

With all due respect to Mr. O’Rourke….umm..no.

I love to read and encourage everyone to read what makes youfeel (happy/sad/angry/scared), read what challenges your beliefs and what pushes the boundaries of your imagination. If I have the misfortune of becoming deceased in the middle of a book (I say misfortune because while reading is the best way to go I would much rather have just finished the last page than still be in the middle) I would like to think I would not give a flying flip what anyone thought of my chosen material. There will probably be lots better things going on at the moment. You know, streets of gold and all. “Oh,” but you say..”what about the legacy you are leaving behind? What about your loved ones who have found your body hunched over a rather embarrassing copy of a pre-teen vampire romance thriller?” Again, who cares? You are dead. And I doubt those that have known you all of your life will be swayed in their opinions of you because of your final choice in reading material.

When my children were first learning to read I encouraged them to read what they were interested in. That meant a lot of different books for my daughter as she explored different subjects, and a lot of dinosaurs and Jacques Cousteau for my son who loved exploration. For myself, I go by the 90/10 rule. 90% of what I read is what I know I will like. And the other 10% are books that I try out. Either a genre I’m not typically attracted to or a subject I’ve never explored before. Sometimes I am surprised, other times I don’t go past the 3rd chapter. But at least I’ve reached past my comfort level. If I only read books that would impress someone upon the event of my death..my literary history would be severely lacking. For what impresses one person, may not impress the one standing next to him. Okay, so only read award-winning books, only read New York Time’s Bestsellers..only read “Oprah’s choice” books..(please don’t). How about…”Never read something only because it will make you look good if you die in the middle of it” .

Read what you love, read what you hate. Read authors who agree with your political/sociological/religious beliefs, read those that adamantly do not agree. Read the books that are easy to read, providing you a brief respite into another realm. Read the books that are hard to read, and take a bit longer to get through. Challenge yourself. But please, do not care what anyone will think if you die in the middle of whatever it is you have chosen.

If I were to die today I would be caught 2/3 of the way through The Autobiography of Charles Darwin on my Kindle (to the shock, I’m sure of my pastor. What is a Sunday School teacher doing reading Darwin?), 3/4 of the way through the “Reader’s Digest” I keep on the back of my toilet and at the beginning of The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks on my nightstand. And this weekend I am certain to pick up another novel, an easy-reading non-fiction whatever..probably a crime thriller. Because sometimes my mind needs a break from the seriousness of Darwin’s mental struggles and in-depth research. Sometimes I need a break from the HeLa cells. Sometimes I want to read just to relax and let my mind drift into another world. Even if I am not challenged at the time by anything. Any of these 4 bits of reading material would be judged quite differently if they were in my hands the moment I passed (please Lord, don’t let it be the “Reader’s Digest” for that would mean my passing would occur on the toilet). Feel free to judge me. 🙂

Oh come on, this is a surprise? Haven’t girls been putting stickers on Barbie (as tattoos) for ages? When I was young I wasn’t really into Barbie as much as I was “My Little Pony”. They didn’t have a boy pony so I took the blue girl one and cut her hair really short so they could have weddings and dates and he/she could do guy stuff. Creating my own lesbian/transsexual pony is possibly more disturbing than a “tramp stamp” tattoo on Barbie’s back. Just saying…kids use their imaginations regardless of what the original product looks like. Maybe a permanently tattooed Barbie is a good idea. Instead of a sticker they can pull off..the kid is stuck with that on her back forever. Or until she/he gets tired of playing with Barbies. It is a more realistic example of inking yourself. Hey kids, real tattoos don’t just peel off at the end of the day…you’re stuck with it forever. Or until you can think of something slightly larger/darker to cover it up with. That’s what I want to see next…a Ken doll with a “I love Barbie” tattoo sloppily covered/corrected to say “I love Isabel” sloppily covered as a giant black rose. THAT would teach the kiddos. (shout out to my Dad who has the aforementioned black rose covering a woman’s name)

Tokidoki Barbie 🙂 with cactus friend Bastardino…wow. Really? “Bastardino”? I don’t even know what to say to that. This is quite possibly the cutest Barbie I have ever seen..too bad her pet’s legitimacy is in question. Oh wait..it’s ok. He’s Italian and, unfortunately, out of stock

1793 – Death toll from Yellow Fever epidemic in Philadelphia hit 100. By the time it ended, 5,000 were dead. Spread by mosquitoes, it is believed to have been started the summer of 1793 when refugees from a Caribbean yellow fever epidemic came to Philly. The mosquitos were believed to have been killed off by the impending winter..but rumor is that they simply flew south..into Texas where they live to this day – being celebrated for their keen abilities to carry disease and generally irritate every creature that inhabits the coast.

1975 – Bill and Hillary wed, he spends all of the next day proclaiming “I did NOT have sexual relations with that woman!”. Proving that Hillary is in fact, a woman.

Facebook is a wonderful social networking site. Really, it is. Unless you have friends like mine… (friends, you know I love you but you also know how corny you can be..and you’re putting this stuff on FB which basically makes it an easy target for public ridicule) This is what has been flooding my home page for the past two days:

“Unforgiveness is like drinking poison and hoping that it kills the other person.” (posted by 6 different people)

“Unforgiveness is like drinking poison, a little every day, and waiting for the other person to die.” (posted by 3 different people)

“Unforgiveness is like stabbing yourself in the chest and hoping the other person feels pain.” (posted by 5 different people)

“Unforgiveness is like being in prison, watching the other person through the bars live their life.” (posted by 1 person)

“Unforgiveness is like being committed to prison, while the other person is free.” (posted by 1 person)

-sigh-

We get it. Unforgiveness is like drinking poison/stabbing yourself/being in prison/being committed and hoping it kills the other person/waiting for them to die/hoping they feel pain/watching them be alive/they are free. We know! Forgiveness = good. Unforgiveness = you die a slow painful death. And I get that “God forgave us of our sins so we must forgive others”. I know it is the mature, adult thing to do..this forgiveness stuff. But why must everyone insist on speaking in quotations? Status Updates do not have to sound intelligent or mind-bending..or even be remotely entertaining. There is pressure I think in this “status update” to be witty or intellectual or sarcastic or quotable. I guess that’s slightly better than the people who tell you everything they have had for dinner, and a complete history of their intestinal woes. And I don’t know..maybe that’s what status updates are for. But I like to think they are for awesome things like “a little sore today from climbing Mt. Everest” or “still working on that cure for the common cold” or “just about finished with the time machine, who’s up for a spin?”. Maybe that’s the problem, we don’t do enough awesome things. I’m off to google “awesome things to do on a budget” now…

First, I love Glee. There. I said it. I love almost everything about it. I also loved “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” which is why I freaking ADORED Glee’s season premier. They had Blaine sing “It’s not Unusual” by Tom Jones. I also love Blaine. He’s incredibly attractive though that gets muddled since his character isn’t attracted to women…but he’s a great singer and a great actor. This kid’s stars are shining pretty brightly. Look for him to do big things. I love that Glee does songs that are current, but also pulls from the back of the shelf so the younger generation can rediscover some of the classics. Classic singers..classic songs..and classic moves. Get ready for some eye candy laughs. This is not a clip of Blaine, but of Carleton doing his famous move…”the Carleton”. Enjoy.